Output circuit

ABSTRACT

An output circuit includes: a power supply unit; an output MIS transistor connected to the power supply unit; a reference MIS transistor that is connected to the power supply unit and is invariably in ON state; a current supply unit for generating a reference voltage Vref; an output terminal through which a current is supplied to a load circuit; a comparator; a logic circuit; and a control circuit for carrying out the ON/OFF control of the output MIS transistor. Comparison is made between the reference voltage Vref and output terminal voltage Vout by utilizing the ON-state resistances of the output and reference MIS transistors, thus detecting the magnitude of an output current. If the output current exceeds the target value, the output MIS transistor is turned OFF, thereby protecting it from an excessive current.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to output circuits, and more particularlyrelates to output circuits for driving coil loads, such as switchingpower supplies and motor drivers.

With recent improvements in digital circuit technology, power suppliesand motor drivers are digitally controlled to reduce power consumptionof the entire device. In accordance with this trend, in the outputcircuits such as switching power supplies and motor drivers, MIS (MetalInsulator Semiconductor) transistors are brought into use in order tocontrol the supply of current to load circuits.

The output circuit of this type is normally provided with a controlcircuit for carrying out control so that the value of voltage to besupplied to a load circuit is kept constant. If an output terminal ofthe output circuit is short-circuited to the ground, the control circuitcarries out control to increase the current supplied from a power supplyunit to the output terminal, and to prevent a reduction in an outputterminal voltage. In such a case, the current allowed to flow through anoutput MIS transistor becomes an excessive current the value of whichexceeds a set value. This is the factor that causes damage to the outputMIS transistor. Such a phenomenon also occurs when the resistance of theload circuit is reduced (i.e., when the output circuit is overloaded),or when an excessive charge current from an output capacitor is allowedto flow upon activation.

The output circuit is therefore provided with the function of limitingoutput current in order to ensure the protection of the output MIStransistor against the excessive current. To limit the output current,the output current flowing from an output circuit has to be detected.For this purpose, a frequently used method for detecting the outputcurrent is to detect the output current by using a resistor provided ina path through which current flows.

Hereinafter, the above-described conventional output circuit will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of theconventional output circuit.

As shown in FIG. 11, the conventional output circuit includes: a powersupply unit 101 for supplying the output circuit with a voltage; anoutput terminal 105 through which power is supplied to an external loadcircuit 102; a first resistor 107; an intermediate node 115; an outputMIS transistor 106 that is a p-channel MIS transistor; a current supplyunit 109 with one end thereof connected to the ground and the other endthereof connected to the power supply unit 101; a reference node 116; asecond resistor 108 for generating a reference voltage; a comparator 110with one input section thereof connected to the reference node 116 andthe other input section thereof connected to the intermediate node 115;and a control circuit 114 connected to the output section of thecomparator 110, the power supply unit 101, and a gate electrode of theoutput MIS transistor 106. The first resistor 107, the intermediate node115 and the output MIS transistor 106 are provided between the powersupply unit 101 and the output terminal 105 in this order. And thereference node 116 and the second resistor 108 are provided between thecurrent supply unit 109 and the power supply unit 101 in this order. Inthis configuration, the output MIS transistor 106 allows or stops thesupply of power to the output terminal 105.

The control circuit 114 includes: a timer circuit 111 to which an outputsignal from the comparator 110 is inputted; a driving circuit 112; and aswitching circuit 113, which is controlled by an output signal from thetimer circuit 111, for selecting either the voltage of the power supplyunit 101 or the output signal of the driving circuit 112 to input theselected voltage or output signal to the gate electrode of the outputMIS transistor 106.

The output terminal 105 is connected to the load circuit 102 including aresistor, a capacitor and so on. Between the output terminal 105 and theload circuit 102, a node 117 and a coil 103 for generatingelectromagnetic energy are provided in this order. In addition, the node117 is connected to the output terminal of a diode 104 the inputterminal of which is connected to the ground. It is to be noted that“load circuit 102” is a generic name for various kinds of circuits(e.g., a motor circuit and so forth). The load circuit 102, the coil 103and the diode 104 are normally provided outside the output circuit.

In the conventional output circuit, the first resistor 107 is providedin order to monitor the current outputted through the output terminal105 when the output MIS transistor 106 is brought into conduction.Therefore, the output MIS transistor 106 can be controlled to turn OFFwhen the voltage applied to the intermediate node 115 is lower than thereference voltage, thus preventing an excessive current from flowingthrough the output MIS transistor 106 and into the load circuit 102.

Next, the operation of the conventional output circuit will be brieflydescribed.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the output MIS transistor 106 is ON, a voltagesupplied from the power supply unit 101 is fed to the output terminal105 via the first resistor 107 and the output MIS transistor 106 and isoutputted as an output terminal voltage Vout from the output terminal105. In this case, the coil 103 accumulates electromagnetic energy, andalthough not shown, a capacitor provided in the load circuit 102accumulates electrical charge.

On the other hand, when the output MIS transistor 106 is OFF, the supplyof voltage through the output terminal 105 is stopped, and the energyaccumulated in the coil 103 is released. More specifically, when theoutput MIS transistor 106 is OFF, the diode 104 is brought intoconduction to carry out a regenerative operation, and the load circuit102 including a capacitor smoothes the energy released from the coil103, so that the energy is supplied, as a DC voltage, to a DC outputterminal VDC. As used herein, “regenerative operation” means theoperation of allowing the release of energy from the coil.

The ON/OFF states of the output MIS transistor 106 is controlled by acontrol voltage VG fed from the control circuit 114, and the output MIStransistor 106 is turned ON when the control voltage VG is at a lowlevel. During the normal operation of the output circuit, the drivingcircuit that includes, although not shown, a circuit for generating aPWM signal is used to carry out the ON/OFF control of the output MIStransistor 106.

Furthermore, when the output MIS transistor 106 is in ON state, theoutput current is detected as a detection voltage VM that is the voltageapplied to the intermediate node 115. More specifically, the secondresistor 108 and the current supplied from the current supply unit 109are used to generate a reference voltage Vref that is the voltageapplied to the reference node 116, and the level of the referencevoltage Vref is compared with that of the detection voltage VM by thecomparator 110, thus carrying out the detection of the output current.

Next, a current detection method using the conventional output circuitwill be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

FIGS. 12(a) through 12(e) are timing charts each showing the waveform ofvoltage or current of each component provided in the conventional outputcircuit. In the charts, the abscissa represents time t, and the waveformof each component in operation is shown.

First, FIG. 12(a) shows the waveform of the control voltage VG fed fromthe control circuit 114. In this prior-art example, since the output MIStransistor 106 is a p-channel MIS transistor, the time period over whichthe control voltage VG is at a low level corresponds to the time periodover which the output MIS transistor 106 is ON, while the time periodover which the control voltage VG is at a high level corresponds to thetime period over which the output MIS transistor 106 is OFF. It shouldbe noted that at the time of T0, the gate electrode of the output MIStransistor 106 is connected to the driving circuit 112 in the controlcircuit 114.

In FIG. 12(b), the reference voltage Vref is indicated by the alternatelong and short dashed line, and the detection voltage VM, i.e., thevoltage applied to the intermediate node 115, is indicated by the solidline. In the chart, the reference voltage Vref substantially remainsconstant because the reference voltage Vref is determined by the secondresistor 108 and the current value of the current supply unit 109.Therefore, the reference voltage Vref is set at a value corresponding tothe boundary value between the normal level and the excessive level ofthe output current.

Furthermore, since no current flows through the first resistor 107 whenthe output MIS transistor 106 is OFF, the detection voltage VM becomesequal to a supply voltage Vcc of the power supply unit 101. However,when the output MIS transistor 106 is turned ON, a voltage drop iscaused by the first resistor 107, and thus the detection voltage VMbecomes smaller than the supply voltage Vcc. In addition, the detectionvoltage VM varies in accordance with the magnitude of the outputcurrent, and if the magnitude of the output current is increased, areduction in the detection voltage VM is roughly proportional to themagnitude of the output current.

FIG. 12(c) is shows the waveform of the current flowing through the coil103. It should be noted that although the current waveform shown in FIG.12(c) reaches the target value soon after the output circuit has beenoperated for the sake of simplicity, a rise in the current waveform is alittle bit more gradual in reality, and the output MIS transistor 106has to be turned ON/OFF several times before the current waveformreaches the target value.

As shown in FIG. 12(c), the coil 103 serves as a load on the output MIStransistor 106 in this prior-art example; therefore, even if the outputMIS transistor 106 is completely ON upon switching of the transistor 106at the time of T0, the impedance of the coil 103 momentarily becomeslarge due to the effect of the counter-electromotive force of the coil103, and thus the current flowing through the coil 103 does not quicklyincrease. Accordingly, the detection voltage VM is, at first,approximately equal to the supply voltage Vcc in FIG. 12(b). Whenelectromagnetic energy is accumulated in the coil 103 with the passageof time, the impedance of the coil 103 is reduced correspondingly toincrease an output current Io, thus gradually reducing the detectionvoltage VM. As the detection voltage VM is reduced, the current flowingthrough the coil 103 is conversely increased.

Next, when the output MIS transistor 106 is turned OFF at the time ofT1, the detection voltage VM becomes equal to the supply voltage Vcc ofthe power supply unit 101. During the time period over which the outputMIS transistor 106 is OFF (i.e., during the T1-to-T2 period), the diode104 is brought into conduction to carry out a regenerative operation,thus releasing the energy accumulated up to this time in the coil 103.The current flowing through the coil 103 is reduced continuously fromthe time T1 (see FIG. 12(c)).

Then, suppose that the output MIS transistor 106 is turned ON again atthe time of T2. In such a case, if all the energy accumulated in thecoil 103 is not released during the time period over which the outputMIS transistor 106 is OFF, the detection voltage VM does not begin todecrease from the value corresponding to the supply voltage Vcc butbegins to decrease from the value that is a little smaller than thesupply voltage Vcc of the power supply unit 101 as shown in FIG. 12(b).Then, electromagnetic energy is accumulated in the coil 103 again, andthe detection voltage VM is gradually reduced with the passage of time.In this manner, the output MIS transistor 106 is turned ON/OFF inaccordance with the control voltage VG. The operations carried outduring the T3-to-T5 period will be described later.

FIG. 12(d) shows the waveform of the output voltage from the comparator110. As shown in FIG. 12(d), the comparator 110 makes a comparisonbetween the detection voltage VM and the reference voltage Vref tooutput a high-level signal when the detection voltage VM is smaller thanthe reference voltage Vref, and output a low-level signal when thedetection voltage VM is greater than the reference voltage Vref.

FIG. 12(e) shows the waveform of the output voltage from the timercircuit 111. As shown in FIG. 12(e), the timer circuit 111 operates inresponse to the rising edge of the waveform of the output voltage fromthe comparator 110, and outputs a high-level signal for a given periodof time by a time constant circuit (not shown) provided in the timercircuit 111.

Described in detail below are the operations, which are carried outduring the T3-to-T5 period, for preventing the output of an excessivecurrent by detecting the output current.

If the control voltage VG is continuously at a low level from the timeT2, the detection voltage VM is gradually reduced, and becomes smallerthan the reference voltage Vref in due time. In this case, the currentflowing through the coil 103 is exceeding the target value shown in FIG.12(c). Accordingly, the comparator 110 outputs a high-level signal tothe timer circuit 111, and the timer circuit 111 operates to output ahigh-level signal.

Once the timer circuit 111 has started outputting a high-level signal,the timer circuit 111 keeps on outputting a high-level signal for agiven period of time. Accordingly, during the T3-to-T5 period, theswitching circuit 113 blocks an output signal from the driving circuit112 and is switched such that the potential of the power supply unit 101is fed to the gate electrode of the output MIS transistor 106. Thus, thecontrol voltage VG to be applied to the output MIS transistor 106 isforcefully placed at a high level. Consequently, the output MIStransistor 106 is OFF for a period of time determined by the operationof the timer circuit 111, thereby preventing power consumption in theoutput MIS transistor 106 and protecting the output MIS transistor 106from the excessive current.

When the output MIS transistor 106 is turned OFF, the detection voltageVM exceeds the reference voltage Vref once more, and thus the output ofthe comparator is at a low level again.

It is to be noted that the waveform of the high-level output of thecomparator 110 is a differential pulse-like waveform because there exista response time i) required for the output of the timer circuit 111 tobe at a high level, a response time ii) required for the output of theswitching circuit 113 to be at a high level after the timer circuit 111has outputted a high-level signal, and a response time iii) required forthe output MIS transistor 106 to be turned OFF. That is, the pulse widthof the high-level output of the comparator 110 is determined by the sumof the response time i), the response time ii) and the response timeiii).

In the conventional output circuit, the output MIS transistor isprotected from the excessive current by carrying out the above-describedoperations.

The conventional output circuit, however, presents the followingproblems. First, the first resistor 107 is inserted between the outputMIS transistor 106 and the power supply unit 101; therefore, a voltagedrop is caused by the first resistor 107 to create the problem that therange of the voltage usable for the load circuit is limited. The adverseeffect of the voltage drop is particularly serious when a relatively lowvoltage power supply such as a dry battery is used. Even if other powersupplies are used, it is necessary to set the supply voltage, in thelight of the voltage drop caused by the first resistor 107, at a valuegreater than the voltage needed for the driving of the load circuit.

In addition, since a resistor causes a power loss of RI² (R represents aresistance value, and I represents a current value), the conventionaloutput circuit consumes a great deal of power, and thus requiressuperfluous power.

Furthermore, the conventionally configured output circuit using thefirst resistor 107 does not lend itself to the integration on a chip.Specifically, this problem is caused by the following reasons. Theexcessive current in question is at a level corresponding to a currentvalue of about 1A; therefore, the first resistor 107 having a resistancevalue of 1Ω or less, for example, is required. However, if the firstresistor 107 is formed of a material having a sheet resistance of morethan 100Ω/□, the area of the first resistor 107 becomes too large, whichmakes it difficult to integrate the conventional output circuit on achip.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an outputcircuit that can solve the above-described problems, that protects anoutput MIS transistor from an excessive current, and that utilizes powerwith a high degree of efficiency.

A first output circuit of the present invention includes: an output nodethrough which power is supplied to an external load circuit; a firstpower supply unit; an output MIS transistor, provided between the firstpower supply unit and the output node, for allowing or stopping thesupply of the power to the output node; a current supply unit; areference node connected to the current supply unit; a reference MIStransistor that is provided between the first power supply unit and thereference node, and that has a gate electrode to which a constantvoltage is applied to allow the reference MIS transistor to function asa resistor; a comparator having one input section thereof connected tothe reference node and the other input section thereof connected to theoutput node; and a control circuit, connected to the output section ofthe comparator, for carrying out the ON/OFF control of the output MIStransistor so as to turn the output MIS transistor OFF for a givenperiod of time at least when the potential of the output node is lowerthan that of the reference node.

Thus, an output current can be detected by making a comparison betweenthe potential of the output node and that of the reference node, even ifno resistor used for the detection of the current is provided betweenthe output MIS transistor and the first power supply unit. Since thecurrent exceeding a set value is prevented from flowing through theoutput MIS transistor, the output MIS transistor can be protected froman excessive current. Furthermore, since no resistor for currentdetection is provided, the power loss of the inventive output circuit islower than that of the conventional output circuit, and the powerconsumption of the apparatus provided with the inventive output circuitcan be reduced. In addition, since a resistor for current detectionwhich increases the size of the output circuit does not have to beprovided, the area of the output circuit can be reduced, and thus theentire output circuit can be integrated on a chip with other circuits.

No resistor used for the monitoring of an output current outputted fromthe output node may be provided between the first power supply unit andthe output MIS transistor. In such an embodiment, the output circuit canbe reduced in power loss and area as described above.

Each of the output and reference MIS transistors may be a p-channel MIStransistor having a gate electrode. In such an embodiment, the circuitconfiguration of the first output circuit can be simplified comparedwith an output circuit that uses an n-channel transistor. Accordingly,the area of the first output circuit can be reduced.

The control circuit may include: a driving circuit that is operated bythe power supplied from the first power supply unit; and a switchingcircuit for carrying out, in response to an output signal from thecomparator, a switching operation to block an output signal from thedriving circuit or to allow the output signal to be inputted to a gateelectrode of the output MIS transistor. In such an embodiment, theabove-described ON/OFF control of the output MIS transistor can becarried out in a relatively simple configuration.

When the potential of the output node is higher than that of thereference node, the switching circuit may carry out a switchingoperation to allow an output signal from the driving circuit to beinputted to the gate electrode of the output MIS transistor, and whenthe potential of the output node is lower than that of the referencenode, the switching circuit may carry out a switching operation to allowa voltage of the first power supply unit to be applied to the gateelectrode of the output MIS transistor for a given period of time. Insuch an embodiment, it is possible to detect the output current and toprevent the current exceeding the set value from flowing through theoutput MIS transistor.

In another embodiment, the control circuit may include: a pulsegenerator; and a latch circuit that is reset in response to an outputsignal from the comparator, and that is set in response to an outputsignal from the pulse generator, wherein the output MIS transistor iscontrolled to turn ON/OFF in response to an output signal from the latchcircuit. In such an embodiment, it is possible to carry out the ON/OFFcontrol of the output MIS transistor which has difficulty in beingaffected by a noise resulting from electromagnetic induction caused by acoil, for example, compared with the case where a switching circuit isused.

In particular, the latch circuit may be an SR flip-flop. In such anembodiment, it is possible to carry out, in a simple configuration, theON/OFF control of the output MIS transistor which has difficulty inbeing affected by the noise.

In the first output circuit, each of the output and reference MIStransistors may be an n-channel MIS transistor having a gate electrode,and the output circuit may further include a second power supply unitfor applying a voltage higher than that of the first power supply unitto at least the gate electrode of the reference MIS transistor. In suchan embodiment, the output and reference MIS transistors can be turned ONcompletely, and the output current can be detected by utilizing theON-state resistances of the transistors in the same way as in the casewhere p-channel MIS transistors are used. This limits the output currentso that it will not exceed the set value. Since the currentdriving-capability of an n-channel MIS transistor is higher than that ofa p-channel MIS transistor, the output current of the output circuitusing an n-channel MIS transistor can be greater than that of the outputcircuit using a p-channel MIS transistor.

The second power supply unit may include a booster circuit. In such anembodiment, for example, the voltage supplied from the first powersupply unit can be increased by the second power supply unit, thussupplying the increased voltage to the gate electrode of the referenceMIS transistor. As a result, it is possible to realize the outputcircuit that has n-channel MIS transistors and uses a common powersource for the first and second power supply units.

The booster circuit may be a bootstrap circuit or a charge pump circuit.In such an embodiment, it is possible to easily realize the outputcircuit that has n-channel MIS transistors and uses a common powersource for the first and second power supply units.

In still another embodiment, the control circuit may include: a drivingcircuit that is operated by the power supplied from the second powersupply unit; and a switching circuit for carrying out, in response to anoutput signal from the comparator, a switching operation to block anoutput signal from the driving circuit or to allow an output signal fromthe driving circuit to be inputted to the gate electrode of the outputMIS transistor. In such an embodiment, the above-described ON/OFFcontrol of the output MIS transistor can be carried out in a relativelysimple configuration.

When the potential of the output node is lower than that of thereference node, a ground potential may be applied to the gate electrodeof the output MIS transistor for a given period of time. In such anembodiment, it is possible to detect the output current and to preventthe current exceeding the set value from flowing through the output MIStransistor.

In still yet another embodiment, the control circuit may include: apulse generator; and a latch circuit that is reset in response to anoutput signal from the comparator, and that is set in response to anoutput signal from the pulse generator, wherein the output MIStransistor is controlled to turn ON/OFF in response to an output signalfrom the latch circuit. In such an embodiment, it is possible to carryout the ON/OFF control of the output MIS transistor which has difficultyin being affected by the noise, compared with the case where a timercircuit is used.

The latch circuit may be an SR flip-flop. In such an embodiment, it ispossible to carry out, in a simple configuration, the ON/OFF control ofthe output MIS transistor which has difficulty in being affected by thenoise.

In the first output circuit, a plurality of the reference MIStransistors may be provided and connected to each other in series. Insuch an embodiment, the ratio between the ON-state resistance of thereference MIS transistors and that of the output MIS transistor can beadjusted by changing the number of the reference MIS transistors to beprovided. Therefore, not only the level of the output current to bedetected can be adjusted but also a bias current can be reduced inaccordance with the number of the reference MIS transistors to beconnected in series. Furthermore, the output current can be accuratelydetected to limit the value of the output current flowing through theoutput MIS transistor while the ratio between the ON-state resistance ofthe reference MIS transistors and that of the output MIS transistor canbe ensured. As a result, the output MIS transistor can be protected fromthe excessive current.

In the first output circuit, both the output MIS transistor and thereference MIS transistor may be integrated on a single chip. In such anembodiment, the area of the output circuit can be reduced, and theelectric characteristics of the output and reference MIS transistors canbe made uniform by performing a common manufacturing process. Therefore,for example, the gate width of each MIS transistor can be adjusted,thereby adjusting the ratio between the ON-state resistance of thereference MIS transistor and that of the output MIS transistor.Consequently, a fine adjustment can be made to the limit for the outputcurrent. Besides, for example, by making the gate width of the outputMIS transistor larger than that of the reference MIS transistor, thebias current flowing through the reference MIS transistor can be madesmaller than the output current, thus further reducing the powerconsumption.

A second output circuit of the present invention includes: an outputnode through which power is supplied to an external load circuit; afirst power supply unit; an output MIS transistor, provided between thefirst power supply unit and the output node, for allowing or stoppingthe supply of the power to the output node; a current supply unit; areference node connected to the current supply unit; a reference MIStransistor that is provided between the first power supply unit and thereference node, and that has a gate electrode to which a constantvoltage is applied to allow the reference MIS transistor to function asa resistor; a comparator having one input section thereof connected tothe reference node and the other input section thereof connected to theoutput node; and a control circuit, connected to the output section ofthe comparator, for carrying out the ON/OFF control of the output MIStransistor so as to turn the output MIS transistor OFF for a givenperiod of time at least when the potential of the output node is lowerthan that of the reference node, wherein both the output MIS transistorand the reference MIS transistor are integrated on a single chip.

Thus, the current exceeding the set value can be prevented from flowingthrough the output MIS transistor by making a comparison between thepotential of the output node and that of the reference node, even if noresistor for current detection is provided between the output MIStransistor and the first power supply unit. Therefore, the output MIStransistor can be protected from the excessive current. Furthermore,since the power loss can be reduced and heat generation can be preventedunlike the conventional output circuit, the apparatus provided with theinventive output circuit realizes lower power consumption and operateswith stability. In addition, since the output and reference MIStransistors are to be integrated on a single chip, the electriccharacteristics of the output and reference MIS transistors can be madeuniform by performing a common manufacturing process. As a result, thevalue of the output current can be limited accurately.

In the second output circuit, the gate width of the output MIStransistor may be larger than that of the reference MIS transistor. Insuch an embodiment, the bias current flowing through the reference MIStransistor can be made smaller than the output current. Accordingly, thepower consumption of the output circuit can be further reduced.

The second output circuit may further include a second power supply unitfor supplying a voltage higher than that of the first power supply unitto the gate electrode of the reference MIS transistor. In such anembodiment, the output and reference MIS transistors can be each formedby an n-channel transistor. As a result, the output circuit thatprovides a large output current is realized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an outputcircuit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2(a) thorough 2(f) are timing charts each showing the waveform ofvoltage or current of each component provided in the output circuit ofthe first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an outputcircuit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the outputcircuit according to the second embodiment in which a second powersupply unit includes a charge pump circuit.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the outputcircuit according to the second embodiment in which the second powersupply unit includes a bootstrap circuit.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an outputcircuit according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an outputcircuit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an outputcircuit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the outputcircuit according to the fifth embodiment using n-channel MIStransistors.

FIGS. 10(a) through 10(e) are timing charts each showing the waveform ofvoltage or current of each component provided in the output circuit ofthe fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a conventionaloutput circuit.

FIGS. 12(a) through 12(e) are timing charts each showing the waveform ofvoltage or current of each component provided in the conventional outputcircuit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(First Embodiment)

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an outputcircuit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Theoutput circuit according to the first embodiment is provided with ap-channel MIS transistor as an output MIS transistor 6. As can be seenfrom FIG. 1, the output circuit of the first embodiment is greatlydifferent from the conventional output circuit in that no resistor isprovided between the output MIS transistor 6 and a power supply unit 1,and that instead of the second resistor 108 for generating a referencevoltage, a reference MIS transistor 18 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the output circuit of the first embodiment includes:the power supply unit 1 for supplying the output circuit with a voltage;an output terminal 5 which is connected to the power supply unit 1 andthrough which power is supplied to an external load circuit 2; theoutput MIS transistor 6 that is a p-channel MIS transistor providedbetween the power supply unit 1 and the output terminal 5; a currentsupply unit 9 with one end thereof connected to the ground and the otherend thereof connected to the power supply unit 1; a reference node 36; areference MIS transistor 18 that is a p-channel MIS transistor; acomparator 10 with one input section thereof connected to the referencenode 36 and the other input section thereof connected to the outputterminal 5; a logic circuit 17 an input section of which is connected,at one end thereof, with the output section of the comparator 10; acontrol circuit 14, which is connected to the output section of thelogic circuit 17, the power supply unit 1, and a gate electrode of theoutput MIS transistor 6, for carrying out the ON/OFF control of theoutput MIS transistor 6; and a second node 37 provided between thecontrol circuit 14 and the gate electrode of the output MIS transistor6. The reference node 36 and the reference MIS transistor 18 areprovided between the current supply unit 9 and the power supply unit 1in this order. In this embodiment, like the conventional output circuit,the output MIS transistor 6 allows or stops the supply of voltage to theoutput terminal 5. Further, the reference MIS transistor 18 isinvariably in ON state since its gate electrode is connected to theground, and the voltage generated at the reference node 36 (i.e., areference voltage Vref) is held constant due to a constant bias currentsupplied from the current supply unit 9 and an ON-state resistance ofthe reference MIS transistor 18.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the logic circuit 17 includes: aninverter 15 the input section of which is connected to the second node37; and an AND circuit 16 having one input section to which an outputsignal from the comparator 10 is inputted and the other input section towhich an output signal from the inverter 15 is inputted.

The control circuit 14 includes: a timer circuit 11 to which an outputsignal from the AND circuit 16 is inputted; a driving circuit 12 that isoperated by the power supplied from the power supply unit 1; and aswitching circuit 13 for carrying out, in response to a signal from thetimer circuit 11, a switching operation to block an output signal fromthe driving circuit 12 or to allow the output signal to be inputted tothe gate electrode of the output MIS transistor 6. In this embodiment,the timer circuit 11 detects the rising edge of an output signal fromthe AND circuit 16, and outputs a high-level signal for a given periodof time. As the timer circuit 11, a one-shot multivibrator or a digitalcircuit for counting periodic clock signals to measure the length oftime is preferably used.

Further, in the output circuit of the first embodiment, the output MIStransistor 6 is of the same conductivity type as the reference MIStransistor 18, thus making it possible to integrate the output andreference MIS transistors 6 and 18 on a single chip. Accordingly, it ispossible to integrate the entire output circuit on a single chip withother circuits.

Furthermore, the output terminal 5 is connected to the load circuit 2including a resistor, a capacitor and so on. Between the output terminal5 and the load circuit 2, a first node 38 located closer to the loadcircuit 2 and a coil 3 for generating electromagnetic energy areprovided in this order. The first node 38 is connected to the outputterminal of a diode 4 the input terminal of which is connected to theground. It is to be noted that “load circuit 2” is a generic name forvarious kinds of circuits (e.g., a motor circuit and so forth), andrefers to a circuit that includes a capacitor and that is driven by anelectrical signal. The load circuit 2, the coil 3 and the diode 4 arenormally provided outside the output circuit. As is often the case, aSchottky diode is preferably used as the diode 4.

As described above, since no resistor is provided between the output MIStransistor 6 and the power supply unit 1, no superfluous power isconsumed unlike the conventional output circuit. In addition, since avoltage drop due to a resistor does not occur, the range of the voltageto be supplied to the load circuit 2 can be widened. Besides, since aresistor that covers a large area and is used to detect an excessivecurrent does not have to be provided, the area of the output circuit canbe considerably reduced for the integration on a semiconductor chip.

It should be noted that since the MIS transistor of the sameconductivity type as the output MIS transistor 6 is used as thereference MIS transistor 18 in the output circuit of the firstembodiment, it is possible to integrate the output and reference MIStransistors 6 and 18 on a single chip in a common manufacturing process.Thus, in addition to eliminating characteristic variation caused bydifferent types of elements, it is possible to eliminate thecharacteristic variation of the elements caused by integrating theelements in different manufacturing processes. Accordingly, the ratiobetween the ON-state resistance of the output MIS transistor 6 and thatof the reference MIS transistor 18 remains almost unchanged even if thevoltage or temperature of the power supply unit 1 changes. Moreover, theON-state resistance of each of the MIS transistors having identicalstructures is almost inversely proportional to the gate width thereof.

In the first embodiment, since the current supplied from the currentsupply unit 9 is preferably minimized with an eye to lower powerconsumption, the gate width of the output MIS transistor 6 is largerthan that of the reference MIS transistor 18. For example, the gatewidth of the output MIS transistor 6 is one hundred to several thousandtimes as large as that of the reference MIS transistor 18.

Next, the operation of the output circuit of the first embodiment willbe described.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, when the output MIS transistor 6 is ON, acurrent supplied from the power supply unit 1 is outputted from theoutput terminal 5 via the output MIS transistor 6. Herein, the voltageapplied to the output terminal 5 is defined as an output terminalvoltage Vout. When the output MIS transistor 6 is ON, the coil 3accumulates electromagnetic energy, and a capacitor (not shown) providedin the load circuit 2 accumulates electrical charge.

On the other hand, when the output MIS transistor 6 is OFF, the supplyof voltage from the output terminal 5 is stopped, and the energyaccumulated in the coil 103 is released. More specifically, the diode 4is brought into conduction to carry out a regenerative operation, andthe load circuit 2 including a capacitor smoothes the energy releasedfrom the coil 3, so that the energy is supplied, as a DC voltage, to aDC output terminal VDC.

The ON/OFF states of the output MIS transistor 6 is controlled by acontrol voltage VG fed from the control circuit 14, and the output MIStransistor 6 is turned ON when the control voltage VG is at a low level.During the normal operation of the output circuit, the driving circuitthat includes, although not shown, a circuit for generating a PWMsignal, for example, is used to carry out the ON/OFF control of theoutput MIS transistor 6.

In the output circuit of the first embodiment, the output current whenthe output MIS transistor 6 is in ON state is detected by comparing thevoltage applied to the output terminal 5 (i.e., the output terminalvoltage Vout) with the reference voltage Vref. In other words, aconstant reference voltage Vref is generated at the reference node 36 byutilizing the ON-state resistance of the reference MIS transistor 18 andthe current supplied from the current supply unit 9, and the level ofthe reference voltage Vref is compared with that of the output terminalvoltage Vout by the comparator 10, thus carrying out the detection ofthe output current. If the output current flowing through the output MIStransistor 6 is increased when the output MIS transistor 6 is ON, theoutput terminal voltage Vout is reduced in accordance with the magnitudeof the output current. Therefore, by detecting the output terminalvoltage Vout, the excessive current can be detected. It should be notedthat the output terminal voltage Vout varies in accordance with themagnitude of the output current because the ON-state resistance of theoutput MIS transistor 6 functions as a resistor for current detection.

Current Detection Method

Hereinafter, a current detection method using the output circuitaccording to the first embodiment will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 2(a) through 2(f) are timing charts each showing the waveform ofvoltage or current of each component provided in the output circuit ofthe first embodiment. In each of the charts, the abscissa representstime t.

First, FIG. 2(a) shows the waveform of the control voltage VG that isfed from the control circuit 14 and is used to control the ON/OFF statesof the output MIS transistor 6. In the first embodiment, since theoutput MIS transistor 6 is a p-channel MIS transistor, the time periodover which the control voltage VG is at a low level corresponds to thetime period over which the output MIS transistor 6 is ON, while the timeperiod over which the control voltage VG is at a high level correspondsto the time period over which the output MIS transistor 6 is OFF. Itshould be noted that at the time of T0, the gate electrode of the outputMIS transistor 6 inputs an output signal from the driving circuit 12provided in the control circuit 14.

Next, FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c) show the waveform of the output terminalvoltage Vout and the reference voltage Vref, and the waveform of thecurrent flowing through the coil 3, respectively. In FIG. 2(b), thereference voltage Vref is indicated by the alternate long and shortdashed line, and the output terminal voltage Vout of the output terminal5 is indicated by the solid line. As shown in the chart, the referencevoltage Vref is smaller than the supply voltage Vcc by a voltage dropresulting from the ON-state resistance of the reference MIS transistor18. Furthermore, the output terminal voltage Vout becomes close to thesupply voltage Vcc (i.e., the output terminal voltage Vout is at a highlevel) right after the output MIS transistor 6 is turned ON. On theother hand, the output terminal voltage Vout becomes close to a groundvoltage (i.e., the output terminal voltage Vout is at a low level) whenthe output MIS transistor 6 is turned OFF. When the output terminalvoltage Vout is at a high level, the output MIS transistor 6 in ON stateexhibits, at its region between the drain and source, the characteristicsubstantially similar to that of a resistor, and a drop in the outputterminal voltage Vout is almost proportional to an increase in theoutput current.

As shown in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c), the coil 3 serves as a load on theoutput MIS transistor 6 in the first embodiment; therefore, even if theoutput MIS transistor 6 is completely ON upon switching of thetransistor 6 at the time of T0, the impedance of the coil 3 ismomentarily increased due to the effect of the counter-electromotiveforce thereof. As a result, virtually no drain current of the output MIStransistor 6 is allowed to flow. In other words, the output terminalvoltage Vout is, at first, substantially close to the supply voltage Vccof the power supply unit 1. When electromagnetic energy is accumulatedin the coil 3 with the passage of time, the impedance of the coil 3 isreduced correspondingly to increase an output current Io outputted fromthe output terminal 5, thus gradually reducing the output terminalvoltage Vout.

Then, when the output MIS transistor 6 is turned OFF at the time of T1,the output terminal voltage Vout is at a low level close to a groundvoltage. During the time period over which the output MIS transistor 6is OFF (i.e., during the T1-to-T2 period), the diode 4 is brought intoconduction to carry out a regenerative operation, thus releasing theenergy accumulated up to this time in the coil 3. The current flowingthrough the coil 3 is reduced continuously from the time T1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2(b), when the output MIS transistor 6 is turnedON again at the time of T2, the output terminal voltage Vout is at ahigh level again. However, if all the energy accumulated in the coil 3is not released from the coil 3 during the time period over which theoutput MIS transistor 6 is OFF, the output terminal voltage Vout doesnot return to the level of the supply voltage Vcc but returns to avoltage level slightly lower than the supply voltage Vcc. Then, theoperation of accumulating electromagnetic energy in the coil 3 startsagain, and the output terminal voltage Vout is gradually reduced withthe passage of time.

Since the energy is still remaining in the coil 3, the current flowingthrough the coil 3 is decreased not to 0 mA but to a level higher than 0mA at the time of T2, and the current flowing through the coil 3 isgradually increased therefrom when the output MIS transistor 6 is ON.

As described above, the output MIS transistor 6 is turned ON/OFF inaccordance with the control voltage VG. During the T0-to-T3 period, theoutput MIS transistor 6 is controlled by the driving circuit 12 in thecontrol circuit 14. The operations carried out during the T3-to-T5period will be described later.

FIG. 2(d) shows the waveform of the output voltage from the comparator10. As shown in FIG. 2(d), the comparator 10 compares the outputterminal voltage Vout of the output terminal 5 with the referencevoltage Vref to output a high-level signal when the output terminalvoltage Vout is smaller than the reference voltage Vref, and output alow-level signal when the output terminal voltage Vout is greater thanthe reference voltage Vref.

FIG. 2(e) shows the waveform of the output voltage from the logiccircuit 17. The logic circuit 17 includes the inverter 15 and the ANDcircuit 16, and as shown in FIG. 2(e), the logic circuit 17 transmits anoutput signal from the comparator 10 to the output section of the logiccircuit 17 when the output MIS transistor 6 is ON, i.e., when thecontrol voltage VG is at a low level. On the other hand, during the timeperiod over which the output MIS transistor 6 is OFF (during theT1-to-T2 period or the period of time after the time T4), i.e., when thecontrol voltage VG is at a high level, the output voltage of the logiccircuit 17 is kept at a low level, thus preventing the output signal ofthe comparator 10 from being transmitted to the output section of thelogic circuit 17.

As described above, in the output circuit of the first embodiment, thevoltage detected during the time period over which the output MIStransistor 6 is OFF is close to 0V unlike the conventional outputcircuit. Therefore, the output circuit of the first embodiment isconfigured so that the output signal of the comparator 10 is transmittedto the output section of the logic circuit 17 only when the output MIStransistor 6 is in ON state.

FIG. 2(f) shows the waveform of the output from the timer circuit 11. Asshown in FIG. 2(f), the timer circuit 11 operates in response to therising edge of the waveform of an output voltage from the logic circuit17, and outputs a high-level signal for a given period of time by a timeconstant circuit (not shown) provided in the timer circuit 11. It shouldbe noted that although a one-shot multivibrator is used as the timercircuit 11 in this embodiment, a digital circuit for counting periodicclock signals to measure the length of time may be used as the timercircuit 11.

Described in detail below are the operations, which are carried outduring the T3-to-T5 period, for preventing the output of an excessivecurrent by detecting the output current.

If the control voltage VG is continuously at a low level from the timeT2, the output terminal voltage Vout is gradually reduced and becomessmaller than the reference voltage Vref in due time. Then, the output ofthe comparator 10 is placed at a high level. At the time of T3, thelogic circuit 17 does not prevent the output signal of the comparator 10from being transmitted to the output section of the logic circuit 17;therefore, the logic circuit 17 outputs a high-level signal inaccordance of the output of the comparator 10. In response to this, thetimer circuit 11 operates to output a high-level signal for a givenperiod of time. During the time period over which the timer circuit 11outputs a high-level signal, i.e., during the T3-to-T5 period, theswitching circuit 11 carries out a switching operation so that thecontrol voltage VG applied to the output MIS transistor 6 is forcefullyplaced at a high level. Therefore, the output MIS transistor 6 is OFFfor a period of time determined by the operation of the timer circuit 11to prevent power consumption in the output MIS transistor 6, thusgradually lowering the current flowing through the coil 3 from the levelslightly above the target value. As a result, the output MIS transistor6 is protected from the excessive current.

Next, when the output MIS transistor 6 is turned OFF at the time of T4,the output terminal voltage Vout becomes close to 0V again, and theoutput of the logic circuit 17 is again placed at a low level. In thisembodiment, the waveform of the high-level output of the logic circuit17 is a differential pulse-like waveform, and the pulse width thereof isdetermined by the sum of the response time required for the output ofthe timer circuit 11 to be at a high level, the response time requiredfor the switching operation of the timer circuit 11, and the responsetime required for the logic circuit 17.

As described above, even if no resistor used for the detection of theoutput current is provided, the output MIS transistor 6 can be turnedOFF so as to prevent the output current exceeding the target value fromflowing therethrough by comparing the output terminal voltage Vout withthe predetermine reference voltage Vref in the output circuit of thefirst embodiment. Thus, the output circuit of the first embodiment notonly protects the output MIS transistor 6 from the excessive current butalso has the function of preventing heat generation in the output MIStransistor 6.

Described in detail below is the relationship between the outputterminal voltage Vout and the reference voltage Vref during the currentdetection of the comparator 10.

First, suppose that R_(on1) denotes an ON-state resistance of the outputMIS transistor 6 and that I_(o) denotes an output current allowed toflow when the output MIS transistor 6 is ON. Then, the output terminalvoltage Vout while the output MIS transistor 6 is in ON state isrepresented by the following Expression (1):Vout=Vcc−I _(o) ×R _(on1)  (1)Furthermore, suppose that R_(on18) denotes an ON-state resistance of thereference MIS transistor 18 and that I₁ denotes the value of the currentflowing through the reference MIS transistor 18. Then, the referencevoltage Vref is represented by the following Expression (2):Vref=Vcc−I ₁ ×R _(on18)  (2)Suppose that based on a comparison between the reference voltage Vrefand the output terminal voltage Vout performed by the comparator 10, thefollowing Expression (3) is established:Vref<Vout  (3)In such a case, the output of the comparator 10 is at a low level, andduring this time period, a current can be supplied via the output MIStransistor 6. Then, based on Expressions (1), (2) and (3), the followingExpression (4) is established:I_(o)<(R_(on18)/R_(on1))×I₁  (4)As can be seen from Expression (4), the output current I_(o) isdetermined by the value of the current flowing through the reference MIStransistor 18, and the ratio between the ON-state resistance of theoutput MIS transistor 6 and that of the reference MIS transistor 18.

As for the electric characteristic of a MIS transistor, it is a knownfact that an increase in the current-driving capability of the MIStransistor is proportional to the gate width thereof (not shown) while adecrease in the ON-state resistance of the MIS transistor is inverselyproportional to the gate width thereof. Accordingly, the ratio betweenthe ON-state resistance of the output MIS transistor 6 and that of thereference MIS transistor 18 can be easily adjusted by changing the shapeand size of a mask to be used in a manufacturing process common to theoutput and reference MIS transistors 6 and 18 (e.g., an impuritydiffusion process). Therefore, in order to ensure the ratio between theelectric characteristic of the output MIS transistor and that of thereference MIS transistor, the output and reference MIS transistors 6 and18 preferably have identical structures, and are preferably locatedadjacent to each other on a chip so that they are oriented similarly. Insuch a case, the accuracy of detection of the output current can beimproved.

As described above, in the output circuit of the first embodiment, it ispossible to prevent the current exceeding the target value from flowingthrough the output MIS transistor 6 without using a resistor for currentdetection. Thus, it is also possible to realize the lower powerconsumption and the expansion of the range of usable supply voltage asalready described above. Furthermore, since the output circuit can beintegrated on a chip with other circuits, an apparatus provided with theoutput circuit of the first embodiment can be reduced in size.

Also, in the output circuit of the first embodiment, both the output andreference MIS transistors 6 and 18 are p-channel MIS transistors. Thus,the output circuit of the first embodiment is advantageous in that acircuit design can be carried out more easily compared with the outputcircuit using n-channel transistors.

Although the logic circuit 17 is configured to include the AND circuit16 and the inverter 15 in the output circuit of the first embodiment,the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The logiccircuit 17 may be configured in a different manner as long as the logiccircuit 17 outputs a signal only when the output MIS transistor 6 is ONand the output terminal voltage Vout is lower than the reference voltageVref.

Similarly, the control circuit 14 is also not limited to theconfiguration described above. The control circuit 14 may be configuredin a different manner as long as the control circuit 14 can turn theoutput MIS transistor 6 OFF at least when the output terminal voltageVout is lower than the reference voltage Vref during the time periodover which the output MIS transistor 6 is in ON state.

It should be noted that although the switching circuit 13 used in thecontrol circuit 14 of the first embodiment is often provided incombination with a logic circuit, the switch circuit 13 may be ananalogue switch as long as it regulates the control voltage.

It should also be noted that in the foregoing description, the powersupply unit 1 is either a power supply line connected to an externalpower supply or an external power supply itself.

(Second Embodiment)

Described below is an exemplary configuration of an output circuitaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention in whichoutput and reference MIS transistors are each formed by an n-channeltransistor.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the outputcircuit according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the output circuit of the second embodimentincludes: a main power supply unit 41 for supplying the output circuitwith a voltage; a second power supply unit 21 for supplying a voltagehigher than that of the main power supply unit 41; an output terminal 5through which power is supplied to an external load circuit 2; an outputMIS transistor 19 that is an n-channel MIS transistor provided betweenthe main power supply unit 41 and the output terminal 5; a currentsupply unit 9 with one end thereof connected to the ground and the otherend thereof connected to the main power supply unit 41; a reference node36; a reference MIS transistor 20 that is an n-channel MIS transistor; acomparator 10 with one input section thereof connected to the referencenode 36 and the other input section thereof connected to the outputterminal 5; a logic circuit 17 an input section of which is connectedwith the output section of the comparator 10; a control circuit 14,which is connected to the output section of the logic circuit 17, thesecond power supply unit 41, the ground, and a gate electrode of theoutput MIS transistor 19, for carrying out the ON/OFF control of theoutput MIS transistor 19; and a second node 37 provided between thecontrol circuit 14 and the gate electrode of the output MIS transistor19. The reference node 36 and the reference MIS transistor 20 areprovided between the current supply unit 9 and the main power supplyunit 41 in this order. In this configuration, the reference MIStransistor 20 is invariably in ON state since the gate electrode thereofis connected to the second power supply unit 21, and the voltagegenerated at the reference node 36 (i.e., a reference voltage Vref) isheld constant due to a constant bias current supplied from the currentsupply unit 9 and an ON-state resistance of the reference MIS transistor20.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the logic circuit 17 includes anAND circuit 16 having one input section thereof connected with theoutput section of the comparator 10 and the other input section thereofconnected with the second node 37.

In addition, the control circuit 14 includes: a timer circuit 11 towhich an output signal from the AND circuit 16 is inputted; a drivingcircuit 12 connected to the second power supply unit 21; and a switchingcircuit 13 for carrying out, in response to a signal from the timercircuit 11, a switching operation to block an output signal from thedriving circuit 12 or to allow the output signal to be inputted to thegate electrode of the output MIS transistor 19. In this embodiment, thetimer circuit 11 detects the rising edge of an output signal from theAND circuit 16, and outputs a high-level signal for a given period oftime. As the timer circuit 11, for example, a one-shot multivibrator ora digital circuit for counting periodic clock signals to measure thelength of time is preferably used.

Further, like the first embodiment, the output circuit of the secondembodiment allows the output and reference MIS transistors 19 and 20 tobe integrated on a single chip. Thus, the entire output circuit can beintegrated on a single chip with other circuits.

Furthermore, the output terminal 5 is connected to a load circuit 2including a resistor, a capacitor and so on. Between the output terminal5 and the load circuit 2, a first node 38 located closer to the loadcircuit 2 and a coil 3 for generating electromagnetic energy areprovided in this order. The first node 38 is connected to the outputterminal of a diode 4 the input terminal of which is connected to theground. It is to be noted that “load circuit 2” is a generic name forvarious kinds of circuits (e.g., a motor circuit and so forth), andrefers to a circuit that includes a capacitor and that is driven by anelectrical signal. The load circuit 2, the coil 3 and the diode 4 arenormally provided outside the output circuit.

The output circuit of the second embodiment is different from that ofthe first embodiment in that n-channel MIS transistors are used as theoutput and reference MIS transistors and that the second power supplyunit 21 for supplying a voltage higher than that of the main powersupply unit 41 is added.

Accordingly, the configuration of the output circuit of the secondembodiment differs from that of the output circuit of the firstembodiment in the following points:

(1) The driving circuit 12 is operated by the power supplied from thesecond power supply unit 21, and a high-level output voltage from thedriving circuit 12 is greater than the voltage of the main power supplyunit 41.

(2) Although a p-channel MIS transistor is used to form a common-sourceamplifier in the first embodiment, an n-channel MIS transistor is usedto form a source follower circuit in the second embodiment.

(3) In order to keep the reference MIS transistor 20 in ON stateinvariably, the gate electrode thereof is connected to the second powersupply unit 21.

(4) As a result of the operation of the timer circuit 11, the controlvoltage VG is placed at a level corresponding to a ground voltage.

The second power supply unit 21 is necessary in the second embodimentbecause the reference MIS transistor 20 cannot be sufficiently in ONstate by merely raising the gate voltage of each of the output andreference MIS transistors 19 and 20 to a level of the voltage appliedfrom the main power supply unit 41. Therefore, in order to allow thereference MIS transistor 20 to be in ON state completely, it isnecessary to apply a higher voltage to the gate electrode of thereference MIS transistor 20 by using the second power supply unit 21.

In the above-described configuration, the output MIS transistor 19 inthe output circuit of the second embodiment is in ON state during thetime period over which the output voltage of the control circuit 14 isat a high level, and is in OFF state during the time period over whichthe output voltage of the control circuit 14 is at a low level. Otherthan this feature, the circuits such as the comparator 10, the timercircuit 11 and the switching circuit 13 are operated in accordance withthe ON/OFF states of the output MIS transistor 19 in the same manner asthose of the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, the operation of the output circuit of the secondembodiment will be briefly described.

In the output circuit of the second embodiment, the output current whenthe output MIS transistor 19 is in ON state is detected by comparing theoutput terminal voltage Vout of the output terminal 5 with the referencevoltage Vref like the first embodiment.

First, when the output terminal voltage Vout outputted from the outputterminal 5 is lower than the reference voltage Vref, a high-level signalis outputted from the comparator 10. Then, the output from thecomparator 10 and the control voltage VG applied to the gate electrodeof the output MIS transistor 19 are inputted to the AND circuit 16, anda high-level signal is outputted from the timer circuit 11 only when theoutput MIS transistor 19 is in ON state and the output terminal voltageVout outputted from the output terminal 5 is smaller than the referencevoltage Vref. In this case, the timer circuit 11 outputs a high-levelsignal for a given period of time, and during this time period, theswitching circuit 13 allows a ground potential to be applied to the gateelectrode of the output MIS transistor 19. As a result, the value of thecurrent outputted from the output terminal 5 becomes smaller than thetarget value.

In this manner, like the first embodiment, the output circuit of thesecond embodiment can prevent the current exceeding the set value fromflowing through the output MIS transistor 19. Furthermore, since noresistor has to be provided between the main power supply unit 41 andthe output MIS transistor 19, power consumption can be lower than theconventional output circuit. Besides, since the output circuit can beintegrated on a single chip with other circuits, it is possible toreduce the size of the apparatus into which the output circuit of thesecond embodiment is incorporated. In addition, since the output andreference MIS transistors 19 and 20 are n-channel MIS transistors havingidentical structures, the output and reference MIS transistors 19 and 20can be formed in a common impurity diffusion process, thus making theelectric characteristics of the transistors uniform. As a result, theaccuracy of definition of the ratio between the ON-state resistance ofthe output MIS transistor 19 and that of the reference MIS transistor 20is improved, thus making it possible to increase the accuracy ofdetection of the output current.

In general, the ON-state resistance of an n-channel MIS transistor canbe smaller that that of a p-channel MIS transistor, and an n-channel MIStransistor can be superior to a p-channel MIS transistor incurrent-driving capability. Therefore, by using n-channel MIStransistors as the output and reference MIS transistors in the outputcircuit of the second embodiment, the output current can be increasedcompared with the case where p-channel MIS transistors are used.Furthermore, the output circuit of the second embodiment is alsopreferably used if the supply voltage for an IC is low.

In the second embodiment, in order to allow the output and reference MIStransistors 19 and 20 to be sufficiently in ON state when the controlvoltage VG is at a high level, the output voltage of the second powersupply unit 21 (which is at a high level if the second power supply unit21 includes a bootstrap circuit) is greater than the voltage of the mainpower supply unit 41 by a value equal to or higher than each thresholdvoltage of the MIS transistors.

The second power supply unit 21 may include a direct-current powersupply circuit that is provided apart from the main power supply unit41, or a charge pump circuit for increasing the output voltage from themain power supply unit 41. Alternatively, the second power supply unit21 may include a bootstrap circuit for supplying power in accordancewith a change in the output voltage of the output MIS transistors 19 byapplying a DC voltage to a capacitor (not shown) coupled to the outputterminal 5 so that the capacitor accumulates electrical charge.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the outputcircuit of the second embodiment in which the second power supply unitincludes a charge pump circuit 50.

As shown in FIG. 4, the charge pump circuit 50, indicated by thealternate long and short dashed line, includes capacitors 51 and 52, andswitch elements 53, 54, 55 and 56, and is controlled by positive pulse φand inverted pulse N φ that are outputted from a clock pulse generator57.

First, when the switch elements 53 and 54 are turned ON in response tothe positive pulse φ and the switch elements 55 and 56 are turned OFF inresponse to the inverted pulse N φ, the capacitor 52 is connectedbetween the terminals of a first power supply unit 1, and electricalcharge is accumulated in the capacitor 52.

On the other hand, when the switch elements 53 and 54 are turned OFF inresponse to the inversion of the positive pulse φ and the switchelements 55 and 56 are turned ON in response to the inversion of theinverted pulse N φ, one terminal of the capacitor 52 at which a lowpotential is applied is connected to the first power supply unit 1 whilethe other terminal of the capacitor 52 at which a high potential isapplied is connected to the capacitor 51. In this case, the electricalcharge accumulated in the capacitor 52 flows toward the capacitor 51 toincrease the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor 51.

The output circuit continuously repeats the above-described operationsto generate a voltage higher than the voltage of the first power supplyunit 1 between the terminals of the capacitor 51. It should be notedthat although FIG. 4 shows a specific exemplary configuration of theoutput circuit in which the second power supply unit includes a chargepump circuit, similar output circuits may be provided by circuitconfigurations other than this.

Furthermore, FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration ofthe output circuit of the second embodiment in which the second powersupply unit includes a bootstrap circuit 60 (which is indicated by thebroken line). As used herein, “bootstrap circuit” means a circuit forgenerating a supply voltage that varies in accordance with a change inthe output voltage of the output terminal.

As shown in FIG. 5, the bootstrap circuit 60 in the output circuit ofthis embodiment includes: a diode 62 connected to the first power supplyunit 1; and a capacitor 61 connected between a cathode of the diode 62and the output terminal 5. The bootstrap circuit 11 operates as follows.

First, when a switching operation is carried out to turn the output MIStransistor 19 OFF and the potential of the output terminal 5 becomesequal to a ground potential, a current flows into the capacitor 61 viathe diode 62 so that a voltage substantially equal to the voltage of thefirst power supply unit 1 is applied between the terminals of thecapacitor 61.

Next, when the output MIS transistor 19 is turned ON and the potentialof the output terminal 5 is at a high level, the diode 62 is brought outof conduction, and the supply voltage increased to a level higher thanthe voltage of the first power supply unit 1 is fed to the gateelectrode of the reference MIS transistor 20 and the driving circuit 12.

In this example, since the supply voltage of the second power supplyunit varies in accordance with the voltage level of the output terminal5, the output and reference MIS transistors 19 and 20 have to besufficiently in ON state. According to this embodiment, when thepotential of the output terminal 5 is at a high level, the increasedsupply voltage can be fed to the gate electrode of the reference MIStransistor 20 and the driving circuit 12. Furthermore, when thepotential of the output terminal 5 is at a low level (i.e., at a levelequal to a ground potential), the supply voltage of the second powersupply unit becomes lower than the voltage of the first power supplyunit 1 by 0.7V (i.e., a diode forward voltage). However, since theoutput MIS transistor 19 is OFF during this period, the output circuitcan carry out the detection of excessive current or short circuit, andthe proper functions of a power supply circuit without a hitch.

(Third Embodiment)

An output circuit according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention is configured such that a bias current used to generate areference voltage (i.e., a current flowing through a reference MIStransistor) is reduced to realize lower power consumption.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the output circuit of the thirdembodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the output circuit of the thirdembodiment is configured substantially in the same manner as the outputcircuit of the first embodiment. However, the third embodiment differsfrom the first embodiment in that second and third reference MIStransistors 22 and 23 each of which is a p-channel MIS transistor arefurther provided between a first reference MIS transistor 18 (which isalso a p-channel MIS transistor) and a reference node 36.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the output circuit of the thirdembodiment includes: a power supply unit 1 for supplying the outputcircuit with a voltage; an output terminal 5 through which power issupplied to an external load circuit 2; an output MIS transistor 6 thatis a p-channel MIS transistor provided between the power supply unit 1and the output terminal 5; a current supply unit 9 with one end thereofconnected to the ground and the other end thereof connected to the powersupply unit 1; the reference node 36; the third reference MIS transistor23; the second reference MIS transistor 22; the first reference MIStransistor 18; a comparator 10 with one input section thereof connectedto the reference node 36 and the other input section thereof connectedto the output terminal 5; a logic circuit 17 an input section of whichis connected, at one end thereof, with the output section of thecomparator 10; a control circuit 14, which is connected to the outputsection of the logic circuit 17, the power supply unit 1, and a gateelectrode of the output MIS transistor 6, for carrying out the ON/OFFcontrol of the output MIS transistor 6; and a second node 37 providedbetween the control circuit 14 and the gate electrode of the output MIStransistor 6. The reference node 36, the third reference MIS transistor23, the second reference MIS transistor 22, and the first reference MIStransistor 18 are provided between the current supply unit 9 and thepower supply unit 1 in this order. In this embodiment, the first, secondand third reference MIS transistors 18, 22 and 23 are similar in gatewidth and structure to the reference MIS transistor of the firstembodiment. Furthermore, the MIS transistors 18, 22 and 23 areinvariably in ON state by having the gate electrodes thereof connectedto the ground.

In the output circuit of the third embodiment, suppose that R_(on18),R_(on22), R_(on23) denote ON-state resistances of the first, second andthird reference MIS transistors 18, 22 and 23, respectively, and that I₁denotes a bias current from the current supply unit 9. Then, a voltageapplied to the reference node 36, i.e., a reference voltage Vref, isrepresented by the following Expression (5):Vref=Vcc−I ₁×(R _(on18) +R _(on22) +R _(on23))  (5)Based on Expression (5), and Expressions (1) and (3) shown above, thefollowing Expression (6) is established:I_(o)<{(R_(on18)+R_(on22)+R_(on23))/R_(on1)}×I₁  (6)Since the ON-state resistances of the first, second and third referenceMIS transistors 18, 22 and 23 are of equal value in Expression (6), thefollowing Expression (7) holds true:I_(o)<(3R_(on18)/R_(on1))×I₁  (7)Thus, it can be seen from Expression (7) that the output circuit of thethird embodiment allows the detection of the output current I_(o) equalto that of the first embodiment in magnitude by using a bias current cutdown to one-third of the bias current used in the first embodiment, andthat the current consumption required for the circuit operation can bereduced. Furthermore, as can be seen from Expression (5), the referencevoltage Vref may be adjusted while the bias current is kept constant.

It should be noted that although an exemplary configuration in whichthree reference MIS transistors are used has been described in the thirdembodiment, the number of MIS transistors to be provided may be changedif necessary. That is, in the output circuit of the third embodiment, itis possible to set the level of the output current to be detected andreduce the bias current in accordance with the number of MIS transistorsto be provided. Besides, while ensuring the ON-state resistance ratio,the output circuit can detect the output current accurately and limitthe value of the output current flowing through the output MIStransistor. As a result, the output MIS transistor can be protected fromthe output current.

In the output circuit of the third embodiment, if the reference voltageVref is kept unchanged, the number of reference MIS transistors may beincreased to reduce the bias current, thus realizing lower powerconsumption. And if the bias current is kept unchanged, the value of thereference voltage Vref may be lowered, thus setting a high target valuefor the output current to be detected.

Furthermore, according to the third embodiment, if the output current,bias current and reference voltage are kept unchanged, the accuracy ofdefinition of the ON-state resistance ratio of the transistors can beimproved. For example, in the first embodiment, if the ratio between theON-state resistance of the output MIS transistor and that of thereference MIS transistor needs to be set at 1-300, the gate width of theoutput MIS transistor is set to be 300 times as large as that of thereference MIS transistor. However, if the difference between the gatewidth of the output MIS transistor and that of the reference MIStransistor is large, it is hard to make the electric characteristics ofthe transistors uniform compared with the case where equal-sizedtransistors are used. Therefore, by providing three reference MIStransistors like the third embodiment, the ratio between the gate widthof the output MIS transistor and that of each reference MIS transistorcan be set at 1-100, thus making the electric characteristics of thetransistors uniform even further. Consequently, it is possible to limitthe value of the output current with a higher degree of accuracy.

It should be noted that although a plurality of reference MIStransistors that are equal to each other in gate width are provided inthe third embodiment, a plurality of reference MIS transistors that aredifferent in gate width may be provided if necessary.

(Fourth Embodiment)

An output circuit according to a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention differs from the output circuit of the third embodiment inthat the output and reference MIS transistors are each formed by ann-channel MIS transistor, and differs from the output circuit of thesecond embodiment in that the three reference MIS transistors areprovided.

FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the output circuit according to thefourth embodiment. In FIG. 7, the same components as the counterpartsshown in FIGS. 1 and 3 are identified by the same reference characters.

As shown in FIG. 7, the output circuit of the fourth embodimentincludes: a main power supply unit 41 for supplying the output circuitwith a voltage; a second power supply unit 21 for supplying a voltagehigher than that of the main power supply unit 41; an output terminal 5through which power is supplied to an external load circuit 2; an outputMIS transistor 19 that is an n-channel MIS transistor provided betweenthe main power supply unit 41 and the output terminal 5; a currentsupply unit 9 with one end thereof connected to the ground and the otherend thereof connected to the main power supply unit 41; a reference node36; a third reference MIS transistor 25; a second reference MIStransistor 24; a first reference MIS transistor 20; a comparator 10 withone input section thereof connected to the reference node 36 and theother input section thereof connected to the output terminal 5; a logiccircuit 17 an input section of which is connected with the outputsection of the comparator 10; a control circuit 14, which is connectedto the output section of the logic circuit 17, the second power supplyunit 21, the ground, and a gate electrode of the output MIS transistor19, for carrying out the ON/OFF control of the output MIS transistor 19;and a second node 37 provided between the control circuit 14 and thegate electrode of the output MIS transistor 19. The reference node 36,the third reference MIS transistor 25, the second reference MIStransistor 24, and the first reference MIS transistor 20 are providedbetween the current supply unit 9 and the main power supply unit 41 inthis order. And the first, second and third reference MIS transistors20, 24 and 25 are each formed by an n-channel MIS transistor. In thisembodiment, the first, second and third reference MIS transistors 20, 24and 25 are invariably in ON state by having the gate electrodes thereofconnected to the second power supply unit 21. Furthermore, the first,second and third reference MIS transistors 20, 24 and 25 are similar ingate width and structure to the reference MIS transistor 20 of thesecond embodiment.

Even if n-channel MIS transistors are used as the output MIS transistor19 and the reference MIS transistors 20, 24 and 25 in this manner, it ispossible to reduce the bias current I₁ and power consumption by settingthe output current I₀, reference voltage Vref, and ON-state resistanceof each reference MIS transistor at the same level as those of thesecond embodiment.

In addition, if the output current I₀, bias current I₁ and ON-stateresistance of each reference MIS transistor are at the same level asthose of the second embodiment, it is possible to reduce the referencevoltage Vref, thus setting a high target value for the output current tobe detected.

Besides, according to the fourth embodiment, if the output current I₀,bias current I₁ and reference voltage Vref are kept unchanged, it ispossible to improve the accuracy of definition of the ON-stateresistance ratio of the MIS transistors, and thus it is possible todetect the value of the output current with a higher degree of accuracy.

Moreover, since the output circuit of the fourth embodiment is providedwith n-channel transistors as the output MIS transistor 19 and thereference MIS transistors 20, 24 and 25, the output circuit of thefourth embodiment is more preferably used as an output circuit fordriving a load circuit with a lower voltage applied, compared with theoutput circuit of the third embodiment. Furthermore, the level of theoutput current to be detected can be further raised.

It should be noted that the number of the reference MIS transistors doesnot have to be three in the output circuit of the fourth embodiment.Alternatively, transistors having different gate widths may be used asthe reference MIS transistors if necessary.

(Fifth Embodiment)

Described below is an exemplary configuration of an output circuitaccording to a fifth embodiment of the present invention in which acontrol circuit includes a flip-flop as a latch circuit that can be setand reset. This flip-flop will be herein called an “SR flip-flop”.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the output circuit according to thefifth embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the output circuit according to the fifth embodimentincludes: a power supply unit 1 for supplying the output circuit with avoltage; an output terminal 5 through which power is supplied to anexternal load circuit 2; an output MIS transistor 6 that is a p-channelMIS transistor provided between the power supply unit 1 and the outputterminal 5; a current supply unit 9 with one end thereof connected tothe ground and the other end thereof connected to the power supply unit1; a reference node 36; a reference MIS transistor 18 that is ap-channel MIS transistor; a comparator 10 with one input section thereofconnected to the reference node 36 and the other input section thereofconnected to the output terminal 5; an edge detection circuit 29 forreceiving, at an input section thereof, an output signal from thecomparator 10 to detect a rising edge of the output signal; a pulsegenerator 30 for generating periodic trigger pulses; and an SR flip-flop31 having a reset input section that inputs a signal from the edgedetection circuit 29 and a set input section that inputs a trigger pulsefrom the pulse generator 30. The reference node 36 and the reference MIStransistor 18 are provided between the current supply unit 9 and thepower supply unit 1 in this order. Further, the ON/OFF control of theoutput MIS transistor 6 is carried out using a control voltage VGoutputted from an inversion output section NQ of the SR flip-flop 31.Furthermore, the reference MIS transistor 18 is invariably in ON statesince the gate electrode thereof is connected to the ground, and areference voltage Vref applied to the reference node 36 is keptconstant.

Furthermore, in the fifth embodiment, the edge detection circuit 29includes: an inverter 26 the input section of which is connected to thecomparator 10; a delay circuit 27 for delaying an output signal from theinverter 26 for a given length of time before outputting the signal; andan AND circuit 28 with one input section thereof connected to the outputsection of the comparator 10 and the other input section thereofconnected to the output section of the delay circuit 27. The output ofthe AND circuit 28 is fed to the reset input section of the SR flip-flop31.

The output terminal 5 is connected to a load circuit 2 including aresistor, a capacitor and so on. Between the output terminal 5 and theload circuit 2, a first node 38 located closer to the load circuit 2 anda coil 3 for generating electromagnetic energy are provided in thisorder. The first node 38 is connected to the output terminal of a diode4 the input terminal of which is connected to the ground. In thisembodiment, “load circuit 2” is a generic name for various kinds ofcircuits (e.g., a motor circuit and so forth), and refers to a circuitthat is driven by an electrical signal. The load circuit 2, the coil 3and the diode 4 are normally provided outside the output circuit.

Described briefly below is the operation of the output circuit of thefifth embodiment.

First, the pulse generator 30 generates periodic narrow trigger pulsesto set the SR flip-flop 31. When the trigger pulses are inputted to theSR flip-flop 31, the output of the inversion output section NQ becomes alow-level voltage, and allows the output MIS transistor 6 to be in ONstate.

When the output MIS transistor 6 is in ON state, the output current isgradually increased due to the coil 3 and the load circuit 2 that areconnected to the output terminal 5. In response to the increase in theoutput current, a voltage drop between the source and drain of theoutput MIS transistor 6 is increased, and thus the output terminalvoltage Vout gets lower than the drain voltage of the reference MIStransistor 18 (i.e., the reference voltage Vref).

When the output terminal voltage Vout becomes smaller than the referencevoltage Vref, the output of the comparator 10 changes from a low levelto a high level. In this case, the edge detection circuit 29 detects therising edge of an output signal from the comparator 10, and feeds ashort pulse to the reset input section of the SR flip-flop 31substantially synchronously with the rising edge. The output (controlvoltage) VG from the SR flip-flop 31 is placed at a high level by thispulse, and thus the output MIS transistor 6 is turned OFF.

Hereinafter, a current detection method using the output circuit of thefifth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8to 10.

FIGS. 10(a) through 10(e) are timing charts each showing the waveform ofvoltage or current of each component provided in the output circuit ofthe fifth embodiment. In each of the charts, the abscissa representstime t.

First, FIG. 10(a) shows the waveform of a signal outputted from thepulse generator 30. During the time period over which the signal fromthe pulse generator 30 is at a high level, the SR flip-flop 31 is set toplace the output of the inversion output section NQ at a low level.

FIG. 10(b) shows the waveform of the output terminal voltage Vout andthe reference voltage Vref. In FIG. 10(b), the reference voltage Vref isindicated by the alternate long and short dashed line, and the outputterminal voltage Vout is indicated by the solid line. As shown in thechart, the reference voltage Vref is smaller than the supply voltage Vccby a voltage drop resulting from the ON-state resistance of thereference MIS transistor 18 and the constant current flowing from thecurrent supply unit 9. The output terminal voltage Vout exhibits a valueclose to the supply voltage Vcc (i.e., the output terminal voltage Voutis at a high level) when the output MIS transistor 6 is turned ON. Onthe other hand, the output terminal voltage Vout exhibits a value closeto a ground voltage (i.e., the output terminal voltage Vout is at a lowlevel) when the output MIS transistor 6 is turned OFF. Furthermore, theoutput terminal voltage Vout when the output MIS transistor 6 is in ONstate varies in accordance with the magnitude of the output current, andtends to decrease almost proportionately to an increase in the magnitudeof the output current. In other words, the output MIS transistor 6 in ONstate exhibits, at its region between the drain and source, thecharacteristic substantially similar to that of a resistor.

FIG. 10(c) shows the waveform of the current flowing through the coil 3.

As shown in FIG. 10(c), the coil 3 serves as a load on the output MIStransistor 6 in the fifth embodiment. Therefore, even if the output MIStransistor 6 is completely in ON state at the time of T0 upon switchingof the transistor 6, the impedance of the coil 3 is momentarilyincreased due to the effect of the counter-electromotive force of thecoil 3, and thus virtually no drain current of the output MIS transistor6 is allowed to flow. Accordingly, the output terminal voltage Voutbecomes approximately equal to the power supply voltage Vcc right afterthe output MIS transistor 6 is turned ON. When electromagnetic energy isaccumulated in the coil 3 with the passage of time, the impedance of thecoil 3 is reduced correspondingly, and the output current Io isincreased. The output terminal voltage Vout is thus gradually reduced.In this case, the current flowing through the coil 3 is increasedrectilinearly as shown in FIG. 10(c).

FIG. 10(d) shows the waveform of the output of the comparator 10, andFIG. 10(e) shows the waveform of the output of the edge detectioncircuit 29. The signals inputted to the edge detection circuit 29 aredivided into two groups: one that is directly inputted to the ANDcircuit 28, and the other that is inverted by the inverter 26, delayedby the delay circuit 27 for a given length of time, and then inputted tothe AND circuit 28. Thus, the edge detection circuit 29 outputs, inresponse to the rising edge of an output signal from the comparator 10,a pulse signal, and the period of time delayed by the delay circuit 27corresponds to the pulse width of the signal.

Hereinafter, how the output current is detected will be specificallydescribed.

First, as shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), when the output of the pulsegenerator 30 is at a high level at the time of T0, the SR flip-flop 31is set, and thus the output of the SR flip-flop 31 is placed at a lowlevel. In response to this, the output MIS transistor 6 is turned ON,and the output terminal voltage Vout is placed at a high level close tothe supply voltage Vcc. In this case, since the output terminal voltageVout is greater than the reference voltage Vref, the output of thecomparator 10 is at a low level. The edge detection circuit 29 does norespond to the falling edge of an output signal from the comparator 10;therefore, the output of the edge detection circuit 29 remains at a lowlevel.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10(c), even if the output of the pulse generator30 is changed from a high level to a low level at the time of T1, theoutput of the SR flip-flop 31 does not change. Therefore, the output MIStransistor 6 remains ON, and the output terminal voltage Vout keepsdecreasing because the output current continues to increase.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10(d), when the output terminal voltage Vout issmaller than the reference voltage Vref at the time of T1, the output ofthe comparator 10 changes from a low level to a high level. Then, asshown in FIG. 10(e), when the output of the comparator 10 is changedfrom a low level to a high level, the output of the edge detectioncircuit 29 is at a high level for the length of time delayed by thedelay circuit 27.

Next, when the high-level output of the edge detection circuit 29 is fedto the reset input section of the SR flip-flop 31, the flip-flop 31 thathas been set is reset, and the output of the inversion output section NQis placed at a high level, thus allowing the output MIS transistor 6 tobe in OFF state. Accordingly, the output terminal voltage Vout is placedat a low level. Furthermore, during the T3-to-T4 period over which theoutput MIS transistor 6 is in OFF state, the diode 4 is brought intoconduction to carry out a regenerative operation, thus releasing theenergy accumulated up to this time in the coil 3.

Next, when a high-level signal is outputted from the pulse generator 30again at the time of T4 to set the SR flip-flop 31, the output MIStransistor 6 is turned ON again. Then, the operations similar to thosecarried out during the T0-to-T3 period are repeated.

By carrying out the above-described operations, the output circuit ofthe fifth embodiment is controlled so as to prevent the currentexceeding the limit from flowing through the output MIS transistor 6.

As described above, the control of the output MIS transistor 6 iscarried out by the SR flip-flop 31 in the fifth embodiment. Other thanthis, the components of the output circuit of the fifth embodiment andthose of the output circuits of the first through fourth embodimentsoperate similarly in limiting the output current by carrying out thecurrent detection utilizing the ON-state resistance of the output MIStransistor 6.

The output circuit of the fifth embodiment is superior to those of thefirst through fourth embodiments in its difficulty in being affected bya noise coming from, for example, an external coil. If the noise reachesa timer circuit, the timer circuit might malfunction in no time andoutput a high-level signal. To the contrary, even if the noise reachesthe input section of the SR flip-flop 31, the SR flip-flop 31 has alower probability of malfunctioning and outputting a high-level signalthan a timer circuit. Accordingly, the reliability of the output circuitof the fifth embodiment is higher than that of the output circuit havinga timer circuit.

Furthermore, like the output circuits of the first through fourthembodiments, the output circuit of the fifth embodiment can beintegrated on a single chip with other circuits. Thus, the apparatusprovided with the output circuit can be reduced in size.

Although p-channel transistors are used as the output MIS transistor 6and the reference MIS transistor 18 in the output circuit of the fifthembodiment, n-channel transistors may be used instead.

FIG. 9 shows the configuration of the output circuit of the fifthembodiment in which n-channel MIS transistors are used. As shown in FIG.9, if output and reference MIS transistors 6 and 18 are each formed byan n-channel MIS transistor, the output circuit is provided with notonly a main power supply unit 1 but also a second power supply unit 21capable of supplying a voltage higher than that of the main power supplyunit 1 as in the second embodiment. And the output from an outputsection (Q) of an SR flip-flop 31 is applied to a gate electrode of theoutput MIS transistor 6.

Although a single reference MIS transistor 18 is provided in the outputcircuit of this embodiment, a plurality of reference MIS transistors maybe provided and connected to each other in series as in the thirdembodiment. In such an embodiment, the power consumption can be furtherreduced. In addition, since the electric characteristics of the outputand reference MIS transistors can be made uniform, the output currentcan be accurately limited by defining the ratio between the output andreference MIS transistors.

Besides, although an SR flip-flop is used as the latch circuit forcarrying out the ON/OFF control of the output MIS transistor 6, thepresent invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, a D flip-flopor a J-K flip-flop may be used as the latch circuit.

1. An output circuit comprising: an output node through which power issupplied to an external load circuit; a first power supply unit; anoutput MIS transistor, provided between the first power supply unit andthe output node, for allowing or stopping the supply of the power to theoutput node; a current supply unit; a reference node connected to thecurrent supply unit; a reference MIS transistor that is provided betweenthe first power supply unit and the reference node, and that has a gateelectrode to which a constant voltage is applied to allow the referenceMIS transistor to function as a resistor; a comparator having one inputsection thereof connected to the reference node and the other inputsection thereof connected to the output node; and a control circuit,connected to the output section of the comparator, for carrying out theON/OFF control of the output MIS transistor so as to turn the output MIStransistor OFF for a given period of time at least when the potential ofthe output node is lower than that of the reference node.
 2. The outputcircuit of claim 1, wherein no resistor used for the monitoring of anoutput current outputted from the output node is provided between thefirst power supply unit and the output MIS transistor.
 3. The outputcircuit of claim 1, wherein each of the output and reference MIStransistors is a p-channel MIS transistor having a gate electrode. 4.The output circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises: adriving circuit that is operated by the power supplied from the firstpower supply unit; and a switching circuit for carrying out, in responseto an output signal from the comparator, a switching operation to blockan output signal from the driving circuit or to allow an output signalfrom the driving circuit to be inputted to a gate electrode of theoutput MIS transistor.
 5. The output circuit of claim 4, wherein whenthe potential of the output node is higher than that of the referencenode, the switching circuit carries out a switching operation to allowan output signal from the driving circuit to be inputted to the gateelectrode of the output MIS transistor, and when the potential of theoutput node is lower than that of the reference node, the switchingcircuit carries out a switching operation to allow a voltage of thefirst power supply unit to be applied to the gate electrode of theoutput MIS transistor for a given period of time.
 6. The output circuitof claim 3, wherein the control circuit comprises: a pulse generator;and a latch circuit that is reset in response to an output signal fromthe comparator, and that is set in response to an output signal from thepulse generator, and wherein the output MIS transistor is controlled toturn ON/OFF in response to an output signal from the latch circuit. 7.The output circuit of claim 6, wherein the latch circuit is an SRflip-flop.
 8. The output circuit of claim 1, wherein each of the outputand reference MIS transistors is an n-channel MIS transistor having agate electrode, and wherein the output circuit further comprises asecond power supply unit for applying a voltage higher than that of thefirst power supply unit to at least the gate electrode of the referenceMIS transistor.
 9. The output circuit of claim 8, wherein the secondpower supply unit comprises a booster circuit.
 10. The output circuit ofclaim 9, wherein the booster circuit is a bootstrap circuit or a chargepump circuit.
 11. The output circuit of claim 8, wherein the controlcircuit comprises: a driving circuit that is operated by the powersupplied from the second power supply unit; and a switching circuit forcarrying out, in response to an output signal from the comparator, aswitching operation to block an output signal from the driving circuitor to allow an output signal from the driving circuit to be inputted tothe gate electrode of the output MIS transistor.
 12. The output circuitof claim 11, wherein when the potential of the output node is lower thanthat of the reference node, a ground potential is applied to the gateelectrode of the output MIS transistor for a given period of time. 13.The output circuit of claim 8, wherein the control circuit comprises: apulse generator; and a latch circuit that is reset in response to anoutput signal from the comparator, and that is set in response to anoutput signal from the pulse generator, and wherein the output MIStransistor is controlled to turn ON/OFF in response to an output signalfrom the latch circuit.
 14. The output circuit of claim 13, wherein thelatch circuit is an SR flip-flop.
 15. The output circuit of claim 1,wherein a plurality of the reference MIS transistors are provided andconnected to each other in series.
 16. The output circuit of claim 1,wherein both the output MIS transistor and the reference MIS transistorare integrated on a single chip.
 17. An output circuit comprising: anoutput node through which power is supplied to an external load circuit;a first power supply unit; an output MIS transistor, provided betweenthe first power supply unit and the output node, for allowing orstopping the supply of the power to the output node; a current supplyunit; a reference node connected to the current supply unit; a referenceMIS transistor that is provided between the first power supply unit andthe reference node, and that has a gate electrode to which a constantvoltage is applied to allow the reference MIS transistor to function asa resistor; a comparator having one input section thereof connected tothe reference node and the other input section thereof connected to theoutput node; and a control circuit, connected to the output section ofthe comparator, for carrying out the ON/OFF control of the output MIStransistor so as to turn the output MIS transistor OFF for a givenperiod of time at least when the potential of the output node is lowerthan that of the reference node, wherein both the output MIS transistorand the reference MIS transistor are integrated on a single chip. 18.The output circuit of claim 17, wherein the gate width of the output MIStransistor is larger than that of the reference MIS transistor.
 19. Theoutput circuit of claim 17, further comprising a second power supplyunit for supplying a voltage higher than that of the first power supplyunit to the gate electrode of the reference MIS transistor.